Saturday, May 18, 2013

Sherwood’s Auburn Forest

In Hollywood, he was a famous. He was a
well-known musician, bandleader, arranger, radio host, singer, actor, and
author of the standard, “My Secret Love.”

So how is
it that Bobby Sherwood died in obscurity in Auburn, Massachusetts?

Unraveling
this riddle revealed a sad ending yet life-affirming portrait of a great
American artist.

Sherwood
was born on May 30, 1914, in Indianapolis, IN.His life and times are
well represented online. You can find biographies, discographies, and more
about his extraordinary career at a variety of sites. As for his time spent in New England, not much is written.

However,
Thomas J. Hynes of the Worcester Telegram
& Evening Gazette wrote as complete an obituary as one could ask for,
especially given the time and space allotted.

Dateline:
Auburn, MA, January,
23, 1981.
He opened his piece by saying, “Robert J. Sherwood, Jr., 66, internationally
known in show business as Bobby Sherwood, died yesterday at his home, 26 Pollier Way, after a long illness. He had been
under treatment for cancer.”

26 Polliver Way, Auburn, MA

Therein
lies the local connection. For a few years before his death, Sherwood had been
undergoing tests and receiving chemotherapy treatments at what is now the
Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in Boston.

According
to Hynes, Sherwood came to the Worcester area to stay at the Rev. Ralph A.
DiOrio’s healing ministry retreat in Leicester. At the same time, Sherwood and
his wife, Vivian (Coleman) searched for a place to live. The couple eventually
purchased a home at 26 Pollier Way, Auburn. Sherwood was married five times
in his life. He and Coleman tied the knot in November 1979 in Henderson, Nevada.

Rev. Ralph DiOrio preaching

Sherwood
first met DiOrio in the winter of 1979. The Worcester priest had been conducting “charismatic
services” on the West Coast. It was reported to be the weakest
point in Sherwood’s illness. According his son Michael, it was Vivian who
talked the entertainer into seeing the faith healer.

Without
airing dirty laundry, let’s just say the family did not consider
Ms. Coleman a Sherwood.

Like his
dad, Michael Sherwood is a talented musician. He is based in Las Vegas. When asked about his father’s
life in Auburn, he said, “Truth be
told, there's not that much my mother, brother, or myself knew about his life
there. He had split with my mom in ‘78 and fell back in with a woman from his
past named Vivian.

“She was
a nightmare. That's putting it lightly. [She was] very hostile toward the
family who loved him. He was sick at the time and found himself unable to truly
communicate with us toward the end of his life. None of us even know if he was
buried, cremated, or otherwise. If there's a grave I sure don't know about it.”

During
his stay in the Worcester area, Bobby Sherwood
continued to work on his music. In August 1980 he was interviewed by the Worcester
Telegram. “Everything in my life is music,” he said. “I’ve got a big band book.
It’s on the West Coast. [It] fills a Navy footlocker, it’s that much music, 200
charts for 15 men. That’s a lot of paper.”

Sherwood
was no stranger to New England. In his big band glory days, he played at the Worcester
Memorial Auditorium, Lincoln Park on LakeQuinsigamond, and the Lyonhurst in Marlboro.
He led crackerjack groups that featured such jazz heavyweights as Stan Getz,
Zoot Sims, and Serge Chaloff.

Hynes
noted that Sherwood had already been undergoing treatment for cancer at
the time of the interview. “Despite his affliction, he said, ‘I’ll work a
deal. I’m an entertainer and I’ll get that big band of mine, Bobby Sherwood and
His Orchestra, and on a Monday night,’ pausing to laugh and put out a
cigarette, he continued, “we’ll come in to Worcester and play the El Morocco.
And I’ll tear that room apart.”

For local
fans, we can only imagine what might have been. At the time of Sherwood’s
death, Hynes said the musician was preparing to write a column on big
bands for the Worcester Telegram and the Evening Gazette. In 1980, one of
the editors at the T&G was Ken Botty, who was a huge jazz fan.

Hynes also
reported that the entertainer was working on an album featuring big band
material and that a Boston radio station was “interested in
having him do a show for syndication.”

According
to music writer Bruce Eder, Sherwood’s last recording credited to him was Bobby
Sherwood -- One Man Band on the Coral label, released in 1954. Eder also noted that, “by that
time acting was taking up an ever-increasing part of his work, including a
starring role (as Ned Galvin) in Columbia Pictures’ screen version of Pal Joey
(1957). He spent much of the remainder of his career working as a radio deejay.”

Sherwood
spoke of his role in Pal Joey in his T&G interview pointing out that he was
cast as Frank Sinatra’s friend. “Remember? I was the band leader, and Kim Novak
was my girl – until Frank showed up, and then Rita Hayworth showed up.”
Sherwood also mentioned that he released an album featuring the music played
in the film. In 1958, Bobby Sherwood & His Orchestra released the Pal Joey album on Jubilee label.

One of
the more stunning revelations written in his obit is the fact that for several
years Sherwood had been working on his autobiography called, The Days of Wine and Buses.

The book remains unpublished. It is in the hands of his son, Michael, who says, "He never published it, but I have the manuscript. I have all of what exists. I even went into Capitol Studios in LA and recorded some of the pieces that were never recorded, as well as remakes of his hits, Sherwood's Forest," and "Elks' Parade."

When
Sherwood died a service was held for him at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester. He was cremated at RuralCemetery. Learning that his father was
cremated, Michael said, “I should tell you that my dad always told me he
didn't want to be cremated, because -- and I quote – ‘Hey, what if you spill me
on the carpet? Who the hell wants to spend eternity in a Hoover bag?’

Rural Cemetery and Crematory, Worcester

“He was a
very funny man and I miss him every day. When I pay my respects I go to his
star on Hollywood Boulevard. It was a very sad end to a rich
and amazing family life.”

In a
fitting gesture to such a musician, memorial contributions may be made to the
Robert J. Sherwood Fund at Berklee College of Music. The fund is for musical
scholarships for outstanding students at the college.

Resources

Note: “My
Secret Love,” was written by Sherwood and Mitchell Parrish. It was copywritten
on April 1, 1943, and first put into print by Worcester publisher Jack Robbins.

Other
local connections – jazz trumpeter Carl Saunders’ role model was the late great
Worcester horn man Don Fagerquist. Saunders
and Sherwood were cousins.